Stupid Mistletoe!
by FireTrooper
Summary: Putting it there seemed like a really good idea at the time...


_Disclaimer: I have nothing to do with Coraline and all that. You know, the fact that this is on __**fan**__ should be a giveaway for it being __**fan**__-made. I mean, why would the real owner post his/her stuff on a __**fan **__site? _

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"Alas, the artist formerly known as Coraline Jones has completed her master piece!" Coraline imagined out loud. She stepped back and admired her work: a snowman vaguely resembling her. The cliché twig arms were bent so the "hands" were planted on the figure's "hips", the shape of her head was surprisingly accurate despite a few distortions here and there, and (ironically) two black buttons represented her eyes.

_If __**she **__saw this, I bet she'd flip out… again. _

It was late December; the heavy winter snow blanketing the landscape heralded the approach of a white Christmas. Coraline anticipated the festive holiday every year, this time more than ever; could you expect less after you traveled to a parallel universe, tangoed with monsters, rescued ghost children, and confronted a psycho witch-spider thing who wanted to eat your soul? This year, Christmas would be a time to recuperate from that nightmare, to relax, and most important… eggnog!

The pre-teen was alerted to an all too familiar sound; the grinding of Wybie's bike. She turned just in time to see her friend fly through the air screaming like a five year old girl, he crashed just inches away from her snow self, his bike landed behind him kicking up flakes and dirt. Coraline was use to Wybie's destructive mishaps, probably because he somehow manages to survive each wreak without a scratch. She walked up to him and tilted her head out of habit.

"I can only give your dive a three." She told him. "But that landing deserves a nine!"

"That's hilarious, Jonesy." The slouchier said before coughing up a mouthful of snow. "But, I was just testing some tweaks I did on my bike." Coraline helped him up and brushed some snow off his shoulder.

"What kind of tweaks?"

"I was working on a new pair of tires that would get better traction in thick snow; there was no chance to test them until today."

"You're such a dork!"

"I prefer the term 'socially challenged.'" Wybie lifted his bike back on what remained of its wheels. "Obviously, they didn't work. Guess I actually have something to do for Christmas this year."

"This year? What do you usually do for Christmas?" Coraline asked.

"Nothing really." He explained as he brushed snow off his bike chain. "My Grandma isn't really into it, so we don't celebrate it all that much." The blue haired girl suddenly felt pity for the slouchier.

"Do you celebrate _anything _during the holidays?" she asked.

"Uh… no, not really." Wybie answered. The little adventurer was now utterly perplexed.

"Well, do you want to?"

"Don't see how I can; Grandma is all the family I have left." Coraline couldn't imagine growing up with virtually no family at all, it would have been a terrible life, and Wybie was living it.

_Oh, Wybie…_

She had to do something for her friend; he did save her from the Beldam's severed hand after all.

"Hey, you could spend Christmas with me and my parents!" Coraline thought out loud. This caught Wybie a bit off guard.

"Wha… What? But, isn't Christmas a time to celebrate with your _own _family? We're not related!" he explained.

"It's also a time to help others, and that's what I'm doing!" she said. "Plus, I still owe you for crushing that hand." Wybie thought for a moment, she did have a point (two actually), and his Grandma would probably let him; she doesn't despise Christmas, she just doesn't care for it.

"Well, given the circumstances, I guess it wouldn't hurt, Jonesy." Wybie concluded.

"Great! You won't be disappointed; Christmas is one of the few times my parents are fun." Coraline assured him. Her friend noticed the snow figure behind her.

"Hey, nice snow hag! It probably took forever to build that." He said.

_Snow hag!? _

"That's supposed to be me, Wybourn!" the blue haired girl explained in a threatening tone. Wybie took a few steps back from her, realizing the magnitude of the mistake he just made.

"Oh! Uh… sorry… it just looked… you know… with all the…" he couldn't talk strait out of fear of putting his foot in his mouth. Coraline took a step towards him and slugged his arm like she always did when he was annoying.

"I think you should go fix your bike, Wy_-were you-_bourn!"

"Agreed! I'll be by your place tomorrow morning, Merry Christmas!" The slouchier grabbed his bike and ungracefully retreated uphill.

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It was Christmas Eve, decorations and the smell of gingerbread men filled the Jones house. Coraline was already out of bed and dressed in her orange, purple striped sweater with a pair of jeans. She was now washing her hands at the kitchen sink, finished with helping her mother cook Christmas treats. Her parents were going to be very busy this year, so the adventurer wanted to learn how to cook so she wouldn't have to live off of microwave food when they went on a business trip.

"Mind telling me why you're letting Wybie stay here for Christmas, Coraline?" Mel asked as she put away kitchen utensils.

"Holiday Spirit, I guess." Coraline explained. "He doesn't get to celebrate Christmas very often, so I'm giving him a chance." She couldn't tell her it was also because he saved her from the Beldam's hand.

"Are you sure that's it, Coraline?" her father asked from the kitchen table. The pre-teen turned to face him,

"Yeah, why?" she asked. A grin crept onto his face.

"Because, I'm getting the feeling that… maybe you like him."

"Charlie…" Mel began to warn him.

"Of course I like him, he's my best friend." Coraline explained. Charlie chuckled.

"No, I mean… **more **than like him." He said almost bluntly. Her face went red.

"Dad!"

"That's enough!" Mel hissed with a glare.

"Okay! I was just making sure!" The father said throwing up his hands defensively, but he still couldn't help but wonder why his daughter blushed just now.

"Anyway, Coraline, could you hang up the mistletoe?" Mel asked.

"Sure, where?" Coraline asked as she was handed the decoration.

"The Parlor." She froze for a moment; that was where the door to the Other World was. The adventurer avoided that room ever since she escaped her Other Mother, even though the door was locked and the key trapped in the well, she still felt uneasy going in there.

_Well, since I don't go there often I probably won't get caught under the mistletoe. _

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"Stay up… stupid… thingy…" Coraline grunted as she struggled to hang the mistletoe while keeping her balance on the small ladder. After a few drops, falls, and tumbles, the task was finally done. But before she could leave the room, a faint knocking sound was heard. The blue haired girl knew it wasn't the front door, so it had to be…

_The Beldam…_

Her fears were confirmed when she followed the noise to the little door in the back of the room. She thought about running for it, but decided to kneel by it instead; what could that witch do if she was trapped?

"Coraline, is that you, dear?" the Beldam asked in the same voice as Coraline's real mother.

"I'm here, what do you want?" Coraline asked while trying not to show any signs of fear.

"Your mother just wants to wish you Merry Christmas!"

"You aren't my mother!" The Beldam seemed to ignore her.

"Why don't you look under the couch? I left a Christmas present there for you."

_A present? _

Coraline reached under the couch and felt something rough and partially fuzzy; pulling it out revealed that it was a doll. Like all of the Beldam's creations, it had black button eyes, but the sewing job for the rest of it seemed crude and rushed; threads looped and hung out loosely in a few places. The doll's "skin" was a decaying grey, its dress looked more like a bunch of rags sewn together, and long red hair drooped from its head.

"Sorry for how it looks, but it was difficult to make it with just one hand! Her name is Sally by the way." the Other Mother explained.

"How did you get this here with the door locked?" Coraline asked as she turned back to the door. "And how do I know this isn't one of your spies?"

"I can still send my dolls to your world without the door, but not myself or any "other people" I make. But don't worry, I have no reason to spy on you; the doll that looked like you gathered all I needed to know about you, my twitchy-witchy-girl." The adventurer was furious, that damned witch used the pet name her real parents use!

"Don't you… **EVER**… call me that again!" she nearly shouted. The Beldam just laughed, first out of amusement but then maniacally.

"I hope you have a good time with Wybie, Coraline." She mused. "But I doubt you'll have that much fun; he's the Wybie who talks after all!" Being reminded of Other Wybie was more than Coraline could take, she grabbed the doll and began to storm out.

"Merry Christmas, dear!" her Other Mother said.

"Bah, humbug!" she replied.

_I'm way too old for dolls._

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"You're finally here!" Coraline said to Wybie, who was standing in the front door way. Accompanying him was the cat, which was perched on his shoulder staring fearfully at the snow, and a banana slug clinging to his arm.

"Yeah, sorry I'm late; I had a weird dream last night and couldn't fall back asleep." The slouchier explained. "In it, a giant peach grew in the back yard, and I vaguely remember a talking centipede with a Brooklyn accent and a cigar." Coraline looked at him like he was an alien.

_I thought my dreams were weird…_

She took a quick glance at the cat perched on his shoulder.

"Nice to see you too, Wuss Puss." She told it. The stray glared at her as its caretaker walked inside. Wybie hung his coat before being led into the kitchen; Mel and Charlie were just now finishing with the table.

"Nice to see you Wybie." Mel said. "You're very lucky that- WHAT THE HECK IS THAT THING!?" She jumped back as if hit by a huge gust of wind, almost knocking over a chair.

"Huh? Oh, this is Slugzilla." Wybie explained with a gesture to the slug on his arm.

"So… what, did he get bored of Tokyo?" Mel asked sarcastically as she regained her composure.

"Calm down, you were in to some freaky stuff when we met." Charlie told his wife. Wybie glanced at Coraline.

_That would explain a lot! _

"Anyway, when are we eating those treats?" Coraline asked.

"This afternoon." Her father answered. "I hope you can control yourselves until then." Wybie found that difficult; the smell of the baked goods practically tugged on his nose, begging him to follow it to its source and euthanize it.

"We will, Dad." The blue haired girl assured. "In the mean time; I have something to show you, Wybie, and bring the cat."

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"Okay, I've studied some pretty strange things… but this is just freaky!" Wybie explained as he examined the "Sally" doll. Coraline brought him up to her room earlier; the doll was now lying on her bed, its black button eyes staring back at the slouchier.

"Freakier than stalking a girl new to the neighborhood, while wearing an iron skull mask like one of those slasher film killers?" Coraline asked sarcastically, as she peeked over his shoulder.

"I told you that was the cat's idea!" Wybie said defensively. His friend rolled her eyes as the cat leapt onto the bed.

"What do you think?" she asked it. "Should we worry about this?" The stray sniffed the doll briefly before giving it a quick shove, then it gave an assuring look to the two kids.

_Looks okay to me. _

"Well, Jonesy, maybe this 'Beldam' is just making a moth-uh- friendly gesture for the holidays." Wybie thought out loud. He would have said _motherly _gesture, but he knew that would have been paying for his own hit. Coraline still wasn't convinced, but even the cat said it was alright, and it knew more about the Other Mother than she did.

"Well, if anything happens, I guess we can deal with it. She still has no way out of that world." Coraline concluded.

"So, what do we do now that your parents are out doing last minute shopping?" Wybie asked as he turned to face his friend.

"We could finish decorating the house." She suggested. "Most of the new ornaments haven't hung up yet."

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"Don't look down, don't look down, don't look down…" Wybie mumbled as he stood on the ladder. The ornament dangling from his gloved hand flailed about as his arm trembled, senseless fright jumbled his mind as he pictured himself falling and splitting his skull open.

"Jonesy, you never told me decorating was life threatening!" he complained. Coraline was watching from the stair case.

"Wybourn, the ladder only has two steps!" she pointed out, if tension building music was playing, the sound of a record player breaking would have been heard.

"I can still hurt myself! A fall from here would probably get me a concussion."

"If you're scared, then just get down."

"Don't you think I would have done that earlier if I could!?"

"Oh, you've got to be freaking kidding me!" The girl's already strained patience reached its limit. "Here, I'll help you down." She jumped from the stairs and walked towards the ladder.

"Hey! I can get down on my own; I'm not five years old!"

"You just said you couldn't a couple seconds ago!" Her foot hit one of the ladder's legs, making it slide a bit and sending Wybie into what looked like a balance act a drunken monkey would do. In a matter of seconds, he no longer felt anything solid beneath his feet as he watched the ceiling rush away from him, followed by slamming into something in the way of his descent. After recovering from a brief shock, he sat up.

"I… I'm alive!" he shouted gleefully. "I'm alive, Jonesy! I… Jonesy?"

"You have three seconds to get off me, Wy-_were you_-bourn!" Coraline hissed from beneath him. Wybie looked down and discovered he was sitting on her back, and leapt off with a frightened puppy yelp.

"Uh… sorry… I just… um…" he got the feeling his time on Earth was about to come to an end.

A slow… painful… nightmarish end.

Coraline rose back on her feet and glared at her friend, breathing like an angry bull ready to charge.

"That… was **four **seconds!" she shouted before giving chase. Wybie screamed like a little girl and dashed like a cheetah, he ran into the kitchen and slid under the table, his blinding-rage-filled friend _vaulted _over it as she continued to pursue him. The chase ended in the parlor, where Coraline slid to halt while her quarry stood in the opening.

"Wybie, look up." She instructed with a hint of terror in her voice. He did so.

"Huh? What is that?" the slouchier asked.

"That's the mistletoe." Coraline explained. "If two people get caught under it simultaneously, then they have to… to…" She was having a hard time with some mental images she'd rather not see happen, ever. "… They have to kiss!"

Wybie jumped back, now understanding why his predator gave up the hunt. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a tall figure in the corner adjacent to the little door to the Other World. A tree covered in ornaments and small bulbs.

"Wait, is that a tree?" Wybie asked rhetorically.

"That's the Christmas tree." She said. "It's probably my favorite thing about Christmas!"

"Why's that?"

"Because on Christmas morning, we gather around it and open wrapped presents we got each other." The blue haired girl gazed at the tree as she recalled recent times of she and her parents opening presents, is was one of the few things they ever did together each year, and they all seemed so happy with each other.

"Do those bulbs light up?" her friend asked, pulling Coraline from her thoughts.

"Now that you mention it, I never saw _this _tree when lit up before." she explained. "Let's light this sucker!" Wybie moved back a bit so they both wouldn't be under the mistletoe when she passed. Coraline felt around beneath the tree until she griped a cord, her thumb grazed over a switch and flipped it. Every bulb on the tree lit up in an initially blinding blaze, making the two kids jump back and shield their eyes. When their vision adjusted properly, their jaws went limp as they stared at the magnificent sight in front of them; multicolored lights bloomed across the tree's branches like the Other Father's garden, sometimes reflecting off of also multicolored ornaments, creating a stunning display in the previously darkened room. The light also revealed other decorations hanging from the branches; small dolls, angel figurines, and a little family portrait.

"Coraline… this is beautiful!" Wybie said, nearly speechless. She didn't respond, for she too was awe stricken. After staring for a while, they felt their hands grab something on their own accord, looking revealed that they were holding hands! The two friends turned red as they smiled at each other, their grip on each other growing tighter.

"Coraline, Wybie, we're home!" Mel shouted as she and Charlie came in through the front door. The two kids retracted their hands after coming out of a haze, still a bit red.

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"You made these, Jonesy?" Wybie asked. Everyone was now seated at the table, gingerbread men resting on their plates.

"Well, Mom helped… okay she told me how to do every step." Coraline explained.

"At least it'll be better than your father's cooking." Mel pointed out. Charlie grumbled to himself. "Since Coraline made these, she'll get the first bite." The blue haired girl took a bite… and ended up whishing she didn't, it tasted like feet! Wybie noticed her disgusted look and pushed his plate back a bit.

"That's… horrible…" Coraline stammered after a painful swallow.

"It can't be that bad, Coraline." Her mother guessed before taking a bite herself. After a few chews, her eyes widened in horror.

"Oh… oh my God that's awful!" her shout was muffled by what remained of the treat in her mouth. She sprang from her seat and turned on the kitchen sink, spewing little chunks into it. Everyone else burst out into a laughing fit, Charlie being the most enthusiastic.

_It wasn't me for once! _

"Well, so much for that." Wybie said as he calmed down. "What do we do now?"

"I don't know about you guys," Coraline explained as she held her now aching stomach, "but I just lost my appetite." Mel went back to her seat.

"So I take it you don't want any of that chowder I've got sitting in the fridge?" Charlie asked, making his wife dash for the sink again.

"I think I'll take Mrs. Jones's 'word' for it and pass it myself." Wybie admitted, following Coraline out the kitchen.

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Wybie stood by the bathroom door, listening to Coraline barfing.

"Wow, you're so bad you make yourself ralph!" he thought out loud.

"Shut up, Wy-_were y_- ULG!" her insult was cut off by another barf. She finally came out after a few more minutes of puking.

"Oh… I feel like a rhino just brake danced in my gut." Coraline complained.

"Maybe you should rest until the aching stops." Wybie suggested a bit worriedly. "You could be sick!"

"I feel fine, besides my stomach." His friend insisted. "But, thanks for the concern."

"But, your Mom hurled twice!"

"That's because my Dad mentioned his chowder."

"Is he really that bad a cook?"

"I'd ask you to come over during 'Surprise Spice' night, but no one deserves that cruel a fate." That was all Wybie needed to hear, but he was still a bit disappointed with the treats.

"Man, those smelled promising," he said. "and they were beautiful, like you." His hand snapped over his mouth a bit too late. Coraline felt heat rushing to her cheeks as she nervously rubbed her arm.

"Uh… thanks." She managed to choke out. Wybie was now fiddling with his fingers and as red as a ripe apple.

"Sorry, Jonesy… I didn't mean-"

"Coraline, are you there? I hear you!" a voice shouted from the parlor.

_Cripes almighty! What does she want now?_

"Was that your Mom?" Wybie asked.

"No, the other one." She answered.

"You… you mean-"

"Yeah." The two friends walked into the parlor (one at a time) and knelt by the small door.

"I hope you're having fun, Coraline." The Beldam said from the other (no pun intended) side of the door. "It's so nice to meet you Wybie." Wybie jumped at the mention of his name.

"Um… hi." He stuttered, remembering the stories Coraline told him.

"Let me guess, you want him too?" Coraline asked irritably. The Other Mother began to speak with that sugary voice.

"I just finished baking a delicious Christmas meal." She explained. "Why don't the two of you come in and enjoy?"

"Hey, Jonesy told me about you, we're not falling for that!" Wybie announced.

"Oh, but I'm dying to meet my daughter's best friend. But, you are the annoying one of course." The sugariness began to fade.

"You murdered the better one, witch!" Coraline hissed. "Besides, we don't have the key anymore."

"The well is deep, but not deep enough. You could easily fish it out." The Beldam said in a threatening tone. "_Anyone _could easily fish it out." Coraline thought for a moment; she was right. There was still a chance of someone recovering the key by mistake.

"Don't listen to her, Jonesy; she's just trying to trick us into getting it for her." Wybie tried to convince her, but the blue haired girl already knew who to listen to.

"Silence, brat!" the Beldam demanded, surprisingly aggressive.

"Shut up!" the slouchier shot back, trying to sound brave. "What Coraline is doing for me is way better than anything you can ever stitch up! So back off if you know what's good for you!" Not a sound filled the room after that; Coraline was a bit thrown off by her friend's sudden burst of anger. Of course, he could never in a million years back up the last part of what he just said, but this was _so _unlike him.

"I think she's gone." She told him after not hearing a response from the Other Mother. As they were about to leave the room, Wybie stopped.

"Hey, what did you mean by 'the better one?'" he asked. The blue haired girl was hesitant, she didn't want to hurt his feelings after he had his moment, but he deserved an explanation. She turned to face her friend.

"The Beldam made another you." Coraline explained. "This Other Wybie couldn't talk, I thought your voice was really annoying, and he was really sweet…" she paused, being taken back to Other Spink's and Other Forcible's performance (the second act of course). Other Wybie threw her a rose after the act was over; she couldn't figure if it was just a forced trick from the Other Mother or if he was genuinely trying to be romantic. Coraline decided to keep that to herself for now.

"So… you liked him better?" Wybie asked, trying not to sound hurt.

"Um, yeah… actually." She admitted. "But that was because the Beldam wanted me to like him!" That was only partially true, but she kept that to herself also.

"Uh… Jonesy…"

"I still think you're annoying, but then again; you wouldn't be you if you weren't."

"Jonesy… you may want to…"

"Look, what I'm trying to say is-"

"JONESY!"

"Whoa! What!?"

"Look up!" She complied, and was instantly horrified.

_No… oh no… oh GOD no!_

Dangling above them, like an execution ax, was the mistletoe. Coraline and Wybie were silent for a couple minutes, before the latter broke the silence.

"You know, kissing can spread infectious germs." He pointed out.

"Yeah! Plus, I could be sick, remember?" Coraline added.

"No sense in getting sick on Christmas!"

"Oh, and we're under aged."

"You're parents would kill me." As they made up dozens of more excuses, they began to walk away, but stopped suddenly. They looked at each other, then the mistletoe, and then each other again.

"Then again, a kiss on the cheek never hurt anyone." Coraline explained hesitantly.

"Yeah… I guess." Wybie agreed. They stepped back under the little doomsday apparatus, and stared at each other for a few seconds before Coraline gently grabbed Wybie's hands. He noticed that the fading light coming through the windows made her look positively radiant.

_Wow! She's so… pretty! _

The slouchier stood a bit more upright and turned his head, face turning pink. His friend leaned forward with an equally pink face, trying to ignore the merciless pounding of her heart.

_I'm not scared…I'm not scared… I'm not scared…Oh my God! I can't believe I'm about kiss him!_

They both closed their eyes, and eventually, Wybie felt Coraline's warm, moist lips on his cheek. His mind was now just a pile of mush; all he could think of was this beautiful girl kissing him. She pulled away after a few seconds, and saw that her friend's eyes were now wide open and could have sworn they were looking in two different directions. In a nutshell, he looked silly.

"Okay…" Coraline said with a shaky breath. "… now it's your turn." Wybie came out of his haze as she tightened his grip on his hands. His friend turned her head and closed her eyes, letting him lean forward. He however, was not as bold as she was, so he hesitated, not being able to take his eyes off the gleaming skin he was about to kiss.

_Move… move! Move you stupid geek! Kiss her already! _

The blue haired girl noticed how long this was taking, and decided not to put her friend through any more embarrassment. She turned and opened her mouth to talk, but at the same time; the slouchier just got the courage to lean further.

His lips came crashing down on hers.

Their eyes shot open, faces now burning red. Coraline raised a fist to pound Wybie in the skull, but stopped and let both her arms snake around his neck, deepening the kiss. Wybie pulled Coraline closer as they closed their eyes, forgetting any worries from before. They pulled away from each other for some much needed air, after a good fifteen seconds or so.

"Wow…" Coraline commented with a smile.

"Thank you for the best Christmas ever, Coraline." Wybie said, also smiling.

"It's only Christmas Eve, Wybie. There's still tomorrow!"

"I can't wait!"

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Later on, Coraline would be asleep in her room, with Wybie in the guest room. Both just unable to wait for Christmas morning to see each other.

The Sally doll was motionless on Coraline's shelf; around midnight… it raised its head and winked.


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